Picolina's 2009 Challenge

*****WARNING!!! THERE MAY BE SPOILERS*****

1) Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer- I loved this book. I don't think it was the best in the series though. I think.....

2) Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer- was!!!! I got so scared when the Volturi were there, but I was very proud of Bella for expanding her shield thing. Oh, and I was also very angry when Jacob imprinted on Nessie, cause I thought they were gonna get rid of him and him stop hurting about it. But in the end, I liked how it turned out.

Welcome to the group!

I feel silly about this, but: the first thing I do when I come across someone who loved the Twilight books is to remind them about The Host, also by Stephanie Meyer. Personally, I liked it better than the series.

*ducks* :)

Hehe, thanx for the recommendation. Haven't read it yet though. And thanx for the welcome!

Ok, here goes book #3:

3) The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis: I had to read this in Spanish cuz my mom froced me to, but I guess I still enjoyed it. It was sorta strange, knowing everything that happened before and how Narnia was created and all, but good.

#6: My favorite is book three in the series, Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I hope you perservere on to that one!

For some reason, I could never connect to Narnia series, to me it was too much of a fairyland story with little literary value.

#8: Sorry you did not enjoy them Piyush, but then, like I always say, not every book is for every body. Personally, for me, they have been favorites since I was a kid (a century or two ago).

Stasia - The Eternal Grandma

LOL at a century or two ago, maybe it holds if you count your age in terms of no. of books read per year/75

I guess thats true, not every book is for every body, I couldn't even connect with any of the characters, one possible reason may be that I didn't read it as a kid (which by the BR/Year defn I still am!)

No, it's because I was born 125.

That definitely makes sense! How stupid of me to not guess it! Sigh, as always I overestimated my smartness.

*Apologises to Alina for spamming on her thread*

Welcome back Picolina -- glad you made it to 2009 as I enjoyed your thread last year.

#12 Piyush: Don't worry about it....after all, we're here to make friends and learn each other's tastes in books right?

#13 suslyn: Hey suslyn! Thanx for the welcome...I hope you enjoy the thread this year. I'll make sure to stop by yours to peek in once in a while.

4) Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp- I was very excited to read this, as I am a fan of HP and had been wanting to read it for ages. The book was very....instructional, and if I'd had a flying broom, I would've probably enjoyed it more but...alas...I do not. Anyways, it was still good and sorta funny at times.

Alina

You can always put it in your wishlist and we come across any flying broom, we will keep you in mind :)

>15 picolina: Thanks for the laugh :)

And regarding my name, as dad says, you can call me whatever you want as long as you don't call me late for dinner!

Lmao, that is soo hilarious. lol

5) Flyte by Angie Sage- I loved it and can't wait to read the next one. I really liked how Jenna's father came back, and how everyone got rid of DomDaniel, cuz he was really getting on my nerves. And I had a good laugh with Sleuth being a tennis ball and all. hehehe

#18: I have read the Septimus Heap series clear through to Queste, which is probably the book I liked the most. Are you planning to read them all, Picolina?

I liked Queste the best as well, Stasia. So it just keeps getting better, picolina!

Book 5 in the series, Syren, is supposed to be out some time this year. There is also a forthcoming book called 'Septimus Heap: The Magykal Papers', if you are interested.

Hi, Alina! I thought I already starred your thread, but I guess not. Glad to see you here!

I'm going to read The Host sometime this year, probably on summer break (late May-mid June). If you get it too, we should compare notes :)

Ya, I'm planning on reading the whole series. I've got Physik sitting on my desk right now, but haven't had time to start it yet.

And that'd be great laia. I'd be interested in reading The Host also.

6) Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare- Yes, this is surprising. I'll admit it. And it was a real toughie, especially with all the "thou"s and the "thy"s and the "woe"s and stuff. I didn't get half of it, but I got the plot and the story and think some of the decisions are kinda stupid, really. But then again, I guess I can't blame Romeo for going back when he hears Juliet is dead, and then Juliet killing herself. I never knew County Paris dies though.

I'm also planning to read The Host this year, probably in May as well--I'm waiting for the paperback, which I think comes out at the end of April(?).

Cool! We could have like a three-way discussion or something.

7) Mysteres et Chocolats by Anne Marie Fournier- A tiny French book I read for French class. Not very interesting...it's about this group of friends that are detectives and they solve a crime about who stole plants that had jewelry in them. I thought it was boring, like honestly.

Et voila ! C'est pour la poubelle, hein ? ;->

Definitivement (sp?) XD

8) The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood- I received this book as an ER book. I'm not entirely sure why I ordered it, as it isn't at all my reading style. No fantasy, fiction or whatever, and extremely long (as in, kinda boring for me.) It was still interesting and impressing, reading all those incredible things people have done. I liked those. But the whole explaining it afterwards was the long part. Still, it was good. I think I'm gonna start rating my books now.

So I give that one 4 doctors out of 5.

lol 4 docs it is :)

9) On the Bright Side, I Am Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louis Rennison- A very fresh book about a teenage girl and typical teen girl problems; from boy problems to friendship. I really liked it, I could relate a lot to Georgia.

5 bras out of 5

hehe, lol

I LUUUUUURVE Rennison's books...they cheer me up on bad days, and are always good for a laugh! :D

I brightly agree dk!

10) Physik by Angie Sage- Loved the book. Out of the three I've read so far, this has been my favourite. I just loved the way Septimus and Marcellus had this really good chemistry together. When Marcellus was first described, I pictured him as "the bad guy" but as the book went on and we got to discover more about him, I noticed he wasn't so bad after all. And the parts when it said that Marcia got really worried and whatever, especially when she told Septimus at the end, I just found that so charming, especially coming from someone like her. Overall, very good, and I'm glad things turned out well between Septimus and Marcellus, cuz they were great!

5 potion flasks out of 5

And I think Queste is even better, picolina, so you have something to look forward to!

#34: I agree with Roni (message 35) that Queste is better, so I hope you get too it soon!

Thanx for the recommendation guys!

11) Journal d'un Chat Assassin by Anne Fine-I read this one in french and thought it was really hilarious. I don't know why I can sorta relate my family to Wilma, our cat who died in a car accident in October. She always brought animals home and I wouldn't get all emotional, but I would start "scolding" her. My dad would get upset and I would always take her defense. Hehe, loved it, very refreshing compared to my next book.

5 mice outta 5

12) The Giver by Lois Lowry- I don't know why my friends were saying this was a bad book. It was great!!! Jonas' world is completely like a parallel universe to ours, and the fact that The Giver is always the one with the memories signifies that everything is always in its place. I was really shocked by how they did the release, and very pleased with Jonas for taking Gabe with him. I was also surprised by how everyone was colour-blind....very surprising. Oh, and I was very disappointed by the ending. I wish there could've been a little more to it than just "And they were waiting for him and the baby." That was kinda dull.

So just because of the ending, which I think made it seem as if Lowry was in a bit of a rush to finish, I give this:

3 3/4 ceremonies outta 5

38> There are people who think The Giver is a bad book? Maybe I live in a bubble... I love it! I think it was maybe the first book that really challenged my view of the world, which is part of the reason. There are not many YA books that skewed my whole world view more than that one!

#38: Picolina, The Giver is actually the first book in a trilogy. You might want to check out the other 2 books as well: Gathering Blue and Messenger.

***Spoilers*** for The Giver

If you want more from the ending, you could consider whether he actually died on the way and the too-perfect ending was just a delusion. It's not what the author intended, but once someone suggested it to me I could see how it was plausible.

I found Gathering Blue very disappointing and haven't even bothered to read Messenger. She wrote the sequels much later, and to me Gathering Blue didn't seem to fit naturally with The Giver.

#40 alcottacre: Really? Hmm, well that explains the ending.

#41 Zoe: That's an interesting perception (??). I never really thought of that.

13) The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis- Since I saw the movie already, I wasn't really surprised by this book or anything. I guess if I'd read the book first, I would've found it more exciting. Surprisingly enough though, the movie wasn't that far from the book, it actually seemed to have pretty much as much detail (in my opinion.) With that said, I give this book:

4 1/2 witches outta 5

14) Into the Wild by Erin Hunter- At first when I picked this book, I thought it was just gonna be another animal fiction without that much...meaning I guess you could call it. But as the story went on, I started seeing that there was more than just cats. I think this book is a book that teaches kids things like loyalty to a group and finding yourself, especially when Firepaw is seen with Smudge and then tells Bluestar that seeing Smudge helped him realize that he did an excellent thing by deciding to join the Clan.

A promising start to the saga.

5 cats outta 5

#42: Concerning Zoe's statements: Gathering Blue can be read as a stand-alone because you really do not see the connection between it and The Giver. Messenger wraps them together. IMO, neither of the sequels is up to the standard of The Giver, though.

#43: I will have to look for that one. Thanks for the recommendation!

>42 picolina: Are you going to read the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia? You haven't reached my fav yet :)

> 42
I never cared much for The Chronicles of Narnia, seems you had better luck, Prince Caspian I think was the one I liked the best amongst them.

#45 suslyn: Ya, I am planning on reading the rest, I just haven't been able to find the next one, and I forgot about it when I went to the library last Friday. 8)

15) The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (re-read)- As the first time I read it, I loved it. The suspense was always there, but this sadly made me realize how much they screwed up the movie. Still, I think I got a better understanding of the meaning of Dust than the first time, although this definitely isn't my fave of the three.

5 alethiometers outta 5

I really enjoyed Pullman's series too, but hated the end (absolutely hated it). But that's because he made me care about the characters :)

Have you read his The Ruby in the Smoke? YA mystery, I thought it was pretty good.

I hated the end of the series too - all this hype about Eve, and temptation, and then it was just so anti-climatic. I think the first one is my favourite, but I remember loving The Subtle Knife too.

I actually think the third one was my fave, although the part where Lyra and Pan are separated was heart-breaking for me.
I have read The Ruby in the Smoke but personally, I'm not too fond of mysteries and didn't enjoy it that much. I mean it was still good...the plot was good and characters were charismatic...but I don't know, it was something different, that's for sure.

16) Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce- Wow, Pierce is one of my fave authors, and she didn't let me down. I read the Protector of the Small quartet last year, and I see that Alanna's and Kel's journeys are somewhat similar, except for the fact that Alanna's hiding the fact that she's a girl.

5 swords outta 5

I haven't read Pierce -- thx for the info.

Just to clarify for readers--Alanna is hiding she's a girl because girls aren't "allowed" to be knights at that time. Kel is the first girl to try for knighthood after Alanna has proven it could be done and the policies were changed. I enjoy Tamora Pierce a lot too. My current favorites are the adventures of Alanna's daughter in the Trickster series. But it enriches those books if you have read The Song of the Lioness and The Immortals quartets before reading them.

Just stopped by to wish you luck on your challenge Pico! I see that you have made some progress....yayy...I just read your opinions on the books I have already read since there might be spoilers in it. I thought the Septimus Heap's books are ok, I'm planning on reading all of them and I have Physik in my TBR pile...I'll let you know what I thought of it when I get to read it. I still have 3 books left to finish the chronicles of narnia...I always try to read them and new books arrive and I read those instead :S. And I loved the whole His Dark Materials series, and to be completely honest I loved the ending just because it was so original. Have a great time reading!

Ron

#52 ronincats: I guess I should've clarified that. Anyways, thanx for clarifying and I'm planning on reading the Trickster series, so thanx also for saying reading The Immortals before is a good idea! :)

#53 Ron: Thanx Ron! I look forward to knowing what you think of Physik!

{{{Spoilers}}}

17) The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan- I really liked this book! I loved how they incorporated Greek mythology in with our modern world, and how they made Percy and Grover look like normal kids, but then we discover that Percy's a demi-god and Grover's a satyr. I am slightly annoyed at how obvious and stupid some of Percy's, Grover's and Annabeth's choices were. Like going somewhere when Grover's sense of "approaching monsters" told them not to. Still, I loved the chapter names and how stubborn Percy was!

4 lightning bolts outta 5

18) In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce- I didn't enjoy this as much as I enjoyed the first one. I felt this one sorta went in too much of a rush for me to enjoy all the details. What I do love about Tamora Pierce is that whenever her main characters are women, she never forgets that her heroines all girls, and that they experience the same "problems" that normal girls do, and she never forgets to tell us that. I love also how her stories aren't exactly romance, but there is glimpses of it throughout the books.

4 1/2 shields outta 5

Just spotted this thread and noticed how quite a few of the books you've read so far are ones i have actually heard of and have read (in the case of the Tamora Pierce books read many times).
I shall be interested to see what you think of them :)
>56 picolina: The third Alanna book is my least favourite of that quartet but the last one is possibly my fav, although not my favourite Tammy book overall. Her books get better and better IMO and it is good to read all of the Tortall books in order so you have the full picture of what's going on in the world by the time you read the Trickster's books.
I'm going to stop wittering now and wait to see what you read next :D

19) The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce- I agree with LadyV, this is probably my least favourite one. It was good, like, plot and all. I have us a much better understanding of the Bazhir (sp?) tribes and their rituals. I really liked how Alanna finally acknowledged that her magical Gift isn't all bad, oh and I also liked how she stopped fancying the Prince and turned her attention to George. I was starting to feel sorry for him. Overall, good, but it could've been better.

4 ummm, veils outta 5

Oops, to clarify to all. In post #56 I put The Woman Who Rides Like a Man when I actually meant In the Hand of the Goddess. Sorry LadyV! But at least now I'm also done the third book. :)

>59 picolina: it's ok I knew what you meant - i also like how Tammy mentions the *ahem* female problems Alanna has to deal with it makes it easier to relate to her characters. George is definately one of my favourite male characters in the tortall books, Jon gets on my nerves a lot during The Woman who rides like a man he is much more arrogant than he used to be.

Ya, I agree with you on Jon. George is so much more outgoing, and he doesn't feel the need to prove himself. He's just so easygoing...

I'm starting Lioness Rampant this week and probably Wild Magic once I'm done. Is that the next best series to read by Pierce, or is there one I should read before that?

Wild magic is the next book chronologically and is the first in the Immortals quartet. That was the first Pierce book i read and i really liked it.

Ok, thanx! I got it out from the library, just guessing that that was the next book, so it's a good thing it is!

20) Chicken Soup for the Teen Soul by Mark Victor Hansen- I've always loved Chicken Soup books, especially when they're teen stories. It helps to remind me that whatever problems I'm going through, there's tons of other people my age going through or that have already gone through the same ones and come out alive. Very good!

5 bowls outta 5

21) Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr- When I first picked up this book, I thought it was gonna be a fairy book and really...how to say....fantasy-type thing. But as I started reading it, I realized Aislinn is much more human and stuff, even though she has the Sight. Even Keenan and Beira could be counted as humans because of their feelings. Excellent for anyone who likes modern-world fantasies.

5 staffs (sp?) outta 5

That's a good point... staves, staffs... :)

#63: I am putting Wicked Lovely on the Continent regardless of the questionable spellling :)

huh? Is that your TBR? Hehe, sorry I'm kinda slow here :P

#66: Yes, it is Picolina. It started out as Mount TBR, and when it hit 3000+ books I renamed it Continent TBR. I figure about June it will be renamed again to Universe TBR :)

Hehe, that's awesome!

22) Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce- Very interesting book, and it's interesting to see how Jon and Thayet came about. Oh, and how Buri came about too. I liked Liam's part in all of this. I feel like it gave the story a character that wasn't exactly a hero, more like a supporting character, but it still held some importance, especially for Alanna. I also liked the connection between Claw and Ralon, and I liked how the whole story was darkened by Duke Roger coming back from the dead. Overall, very interesting story, although I'm kinda pissed Pierce had to kill Thom...

5 jewels outta 5

lol

23) Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce- Wow, what and interesting magic Daine has! I think it's amazing, and I would've never thought there was anything other than the Gift. And it was great also to get to know Thayet's and Alanna's kids and see how much George had changed, which wasn't a lot! lol The only thing I didn't like was how the dragon had to die at the end, even though when she started fighting, that was foreshadowed. But still, it sucks.

Anyways, I think I'll give this 5 mages outta 5. Hmmm, I think I'm really easy when I rate my books. Oh well! It's probably cuz I like them so much!

Why not? They're your ratings. I, on the other hand, am a mean son of a gun and rarely would give out 5s -- LOL that is reserved for perfection :)

Lol, ya, I guess!

24) Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce- Pretty good, and we can see how Daine is discovering and developing her abilities. I think it's nice that Pierce left her on her own for a while, without Numair's help, and how other characters that are supposedly "annoying" or "mean" doesn't mean they don't wanna help and they get involved anyways.

5 eagles outta 5

Attention everyone!!!! This is a grand time and calls for celebration. I have reached the grand number...25!!!! That means I'm a third of the way done in the first third of the year!! YIPEEE!!!!

25) The Helen Keller Story by Catherine Owens Peare- I had started reading this in grade 3, but had quit for unknown reasons ;P. Anyways, now I decided to read it and boy has it not disappointed me. Helen Keller is such an inspiring person....to know that she's gone through all those difficulties to make people aware of the blind is incredible!! I really admire her, although I am surprised she really didn't have a lover, as in marrying. I would've sworn she married! Oh well, still really good book, gives us lots of info bout the development to help the blind in the past.

5 braille books outta 5

Congratulations on hitting #25!!

Good job! I love Helen Keller stories too -- good stuff.

Hehe thanx guys!!! I tend to make big things outta the smallest little thing lol. :P

Congrats on meeting your benchmark for the first third of the year!

Add my congratulations to the rest!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

PIANOOO!!! I mean Congratulations on getting to 25 books in the first third of the year, Pico! Looks like you are going extra fast with your challenge!

lol, thanx Ren!

26) The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly- Wow! Feels like it took me forever to finish that book (well, it kinda did ;) ) But anyways, really good, although kinda gross near the end, what with the Crooked Man torturing all his victims and eating children's hearts....Ew. But I wasn't disappointed...I loved the twist of the fairytales and the ending, that was really original, although I kinda got this feeling that David was gonna return home in the end. But still, not disappointing at all.

5 books outta 5

#82: Glad you enjoyed The Book of Lost Things, picolina.

Congratulations on making it a third of the way to 75!

#82 I also enjoyed The Book of Lost Things when I read it last year. It's a book I will re-read someday.

The Book of Lost Things is sitting in my TBR pile, patiently awaiting my attention.

27) Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce- Good book, although I could somehow predict what was going to happen to Ozorne in the end, and I just wouldn't believe that Numair would be dead, considering the great mage he is. So it was different, because Pierce let us explore the different sides of her world....meaning she let us see the Southern Lands and stuff, but I don't know, I didn't enjoy it as much as the other books. I did like the fact that Daine found out who her father was though.

4 badgers outta 5

28) The Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke- Very nice book. I really enjoyed it. I think I really liked how Twigleg was like the super bad guy at the beginning and how he didn't want to attach himself to Ben cuz he'd die, but then he stops caring and becomes a sort of double agent. I also really liked Sorrel. She was funny and I loved how sarcastic she was.

So......

4 1/2 moonstones outta 5

I need to get ahold of some Funke and some Pierce. Thx for the recs!

29) The Alchemyst by Michael Scott- It took me a while to read this, but it was veeerry good! I highly recommend this to anyone who loves magic and who wants to know more about Nicholas Flamel/Fleming (especially if you're a fan of Harry Potter.) The way the author makes Nicholas seem as the bad guys but the characters always have doubts about him make the story good. The only thing that really bothered me was how the author kept portraying how the twins were so alike. I swear every couple of pages there was a line like "And Josh was thinking _____. Looking over at his sister, he knew she was thinking the exact same thing!" It really bothered me!

4 books outta 5

30) The Magician by Michael Scott- Nice book, and this really gives us an insight of what the "bad" guys are thinking, especially Machiavelli. We kinda know that he feels sorry for Josh, but at the same time he wants to serve his master properly. I really glad Josh got awakened and how Perenelle defeated the Morrigan in Alcatraz. Oh, and I also liked Saint-Germain. You could see he was a magician and he wanted to protect everyone, but he also really boasts about how famous he is and stuff. Oh, and the fact that Scatty got trapped only to be rescued and trapped again is pretty stupid....

5 fire balls outta 5

LOL I love the stream of consciousness thing going there :) I'm trying to reread the HPs as prep for the new film (the husband declined re-watching them all...)

>91 suslyn:: Declined re-watching?! Maybe if you pout a little...? Lol. Or just steal the screen away before he gets to it... I thought my husband wouldn't be up for re-watching them either, but when I mentioned it the other day, he said something like "yeah, maybe we should, I don't really remember the first few very well anyway". I nearly doubled over in shock! Now, whether we'll have the time to is another thing entirely...

My hubby and I are re-watching them, too. I think everyone is just trying to get ready for the new one :)

Turns out he would re-watch. However, the DVDs are missing. I think they moved with our neighbor and are now in Holland -- gack.

#94: Yikes! I hope you find them.

I'm hoping I can pick them up when we're there this summer to pick up the nephew. ...

Hope you can get the DVDs susy! I know my parents wouldn't be up to watching them all, but my friend and I are gonna go see the new movie together!!!!

31) The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce- Nice book, kinda different from all the others but it kinda teaches us some stuff about the gods and the Divine Realms and such. The blooming romance between Daine and Numair is cute too! Overall, a satisfying ending.

5 Stormwings outta 5

32) First Test by Tamora Pierce- This is like the third time I read this series, but I though I'd just reread it again to complete the Tortall books in order. As always, I liked it, but after all the others, I just felt there was something missing. I don't know, but it was good nonetheless.

4 1/2 pages outta 5

(I don't know how you get half a page, but watever.)

33) Page by Tamora Pierce- Awesome book, and I feel I enjoyed it a bit more than I did last time I read it. But a great reread, I don't have much to say about it. I mean, it still seemed too short for my liking but it was still fine.

4 swords outta 5

34) The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis- Good book. I think I didn't enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed others of the Narnia series because there wasn't really that much to do with Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy or even Aslan. I mean, Aslan was still the middle of the story right, but I think I would've preferred to know how the kids' life continued in Narnia. But whatever, it was still good to know about the cultures outside of Narnia. For some reason I'd always thought Narnia was like one place, and there wasn't really anything on the outside of it, but I guess this book opens up you mind a little more.:)

3 3/4 fish outta 5

35) Amos Daragon, Porteur de Masques by Bryan Perro- It took me forever to read this book! Omg!!! But it was worth it. It was really good, a french book lots of my friends had recommended to me but that I'd never actually read. I like how Amos discovers his strenghts during his journey, and the tricks he always plays on people are hilarious!

5 masks outta 5

I am glad you enjoyed the book so much even though it took forever for you to get through!

36) Squire by Tamora Pierce- Like all of the other times, this book was definitely my fave. I loved how much Kel learns and how her character develops so much in this book, what with her new romance, and dealing with the Own and stuff. Pierce definitely didn't let me down on this one.

5 horses outta 5

I've never read any Tamora pierce... where should I start if I was going to try her out for the first time?

Isn't funny how books in a series strike us differently? The Horse and His Boy may be my fav Narnia -- At the same time I completely understand your objections (not the best word but I can't find another right now) to the book & story line. I was sad we only get one on these fellows!

#102 dk: You should start with the Alanna series Alanna: The First Adventure It's Tamora's first book. If you like it, work your way through that series and then move on to the Immortals Quartet and finally the Protector of the Small series.

#37) Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold! by Terry Brooks- Finally finished!!! yess!!! I don't really know why I started this book, but I was ready to quit after the first chapter. Ben was really annoying, and the plot line was just not interesting. But once Ben got into Landover and things started moving, I really liked it more. And I loved Willow! She was absolutely my fave character. Oh, and something else...those Gnomes were really getting on my nerves. And I mean really!!! But whatever, I thought it was very imaginative of the author to make a fantasy world you can buy, and then you have to be king. But I loved how Brooks just pulls the whole thing together explaining how the salesperson who sold the Magic Kingdom to Ben was the court wizard and him and the old king's son wanted the money so they made sure all kings didn't succeed.

Overall, a really good read.

4 1/2 medallions outta 5

I really enjoyed MKfsS -- glad you did too! I read it out loud in the car with my husband. He generally just smiles if something is funny, but this one had him laughing out loud :)

38) The Sorceress by Michael Scott- I really enjoyed this book, even though there were a couple twists and turns that I didn't expect. Unlike the other books, I thought Scott got better at the whole thing about the twins always thinking the same things (something that really used to annoy me, see posts above for details.) Another thing that I liked was how much more we learn about Flamel and Dee. Their characters are way more developed in this story, meaning we learn so much more about their past and how they all relate to each other, and the fact that the twins are starting to not trust Nicholas makes it even more suspenseful. Good read, definitely will be anticipating the next one!

5 auras outta 5

Several books from your list have been placed on my wishlist. I haven't read any Michael Scott, but they sound very good.

#107: :o)

39) Amos Daragon La Cle De Braha by Bryan Perro- French fantasy book about a boy who goes to the city of the dead in order to help the gods that are at war. It's pretty interesting the way Perro comes up with his ideas for the gods and stuff, and how he keeps it fantasy-like, but he also puts in the truth about the gods and you can see he does his research on them. Ya, overall, pretty good.

4 keys outta 5

40) Prince Caspian by CS Lewis- Wow, that felt like a really short book. Honestly, I think the movie might've been a bit better than the book. But overall I mean, the story was good and I didn't know that all the Telmarines went back to their own world in the end, but the middle of the story felt really short and fast paced.

3 3/4 lions outta 5

41) Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr- This one was very intricate and dark, much more so than Wicked Lovely. There's a review in the back that says that the book gives the Twilight series a run for its money, and I couldn't agree more. The mystery that surrounds the faery world and the horrible past of Leslie (getting raped and her mother abandoning her) make for a very cool plot. And the mystery that surrounds the Dark faery Court at the beginning keeps you going into the book. The only thing that disappointed me was that we didn't hear from Aislinn and Seth as much as the first book, but I guess this one was more about Leslie and Irial. But very good, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy mixed with reality that has the feel of the Twilight series, just a little darker.

4 1/2 tatoos outta 5

42) 30 Guys in 30 Days by Micol Ostow- A very refreshing little comedy about a girl who has been dating her high school sweet heart for 4 year, and when she breaks up with him to go to a different college, she finds out she has lost her flirting talent, aka, she doesn't know how to flirt anymore. So her roomate proposes her to do something they call "target practice", meaning she has to talk to one guy a day for 30 days. What follows is a series of very funny events, from clumsy mistakes to embarassing situations. I really enjoyed this book. It gives you a clear look at what lots of girls go through every day to try to get to their "special someone." I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants something different yet not "over-the-top" ridiculous to read.

5 lip glosses outta 5

Still lurking and enjoying your reviews :)

43) Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce- My last reread in the Protector of the Small series. Found this one much less confusing than last time I read it. I also found it kind of more annoying; Kel was always thinking of how useless she was having to stay locked up in her refugee camp, as if she was the knight that everyone needed the most to win the war against Scanra. And then if she wasn't thinking that, she was thinking of how useless she was being locked up in the refugee camp instead of looking for Blayce. That stuff was really driving me nuts!!! But good book overall, still thought the ending was waaayyy too quick, but whatever, I did notice a couple of details I hadn't before so...

4 killing devices outta 5

44) Sword of the Rightful King by Jane Yolen- When I first picked up this book, I thought is was gonna be incredibly boring and way too historical, but I actually enjoyed it a lot. One thing though: Am I the only one who gets annoyed when you know what one group of characters is plotting and the other group doesn't know and you feel like they're being so stupid but they're actually not, it's just that that's the way the story rolls? I hate it when that happens!!! One thing I didn't expect though was for Gawen to be a girl. I actually thought he was the secret murderer!! But ya, it was a good book overall. Definitely recommend it to anyone who likes magic mixed with historical fiction.

4 1/2 stones outta 5

45) The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke- I'd been wanting to read this book for quite some time. My friend kept telling me it was really good, and that if I liked the Inkheart trilogy then I'd definitely like this. Well, I went to a used book store and found it there. At first I was getting quite bored with it. I thought it was going to be very childish and not have an interesting plot, but as the story rolled along and the plot came going back and forth between the thieves and Victor, I thought it got quite interesting. I didn't actually think the merry-go-round would work, but when it did I was pretty surprised. I think it would still suck to be stuck like Scipio in an adult body and to never be able to return to your childhood again. I think everyone should enjoy their age just once and fully!

4 3/4 artifacts outta 5

#113: I will have to look for the Jane Yolen book. I read a couple of hers last year that I really liked. Thanks for the recommendation!

>133 No, I get annoyed with my characters sometimes too for not being all-knowing :) That must be a hard balance for a writer... how much to tell outright, how much foreshadowing...

Hope your absence is just 'cause life's good!

Wow, I've been away from here in a while... And no worries susy, I had a big trip in October and then I was busy catching up in school. Anyways, here goes:

46) Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce- My friend who's a fan of Pierce too recommended this book to me. At first I was a little reluctant but I finally gave in, and was not disappointed. It was great, the characters charming and clever! I don't think there's anything bad I'd say about it.... or if there is, I just can't remember.

So I'll give it 4 1/2 gods outta 5

47) Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce- This one, as the first, didn't disappoint me either. The only think is that at times it got a little boring with the Isles' politics being described and Aly always feeling like she was being useless. I'm glad it all finishes out happily although I'll never forgive Pierce for killing little Elsren and Dunevon or for killing Ochobu or Ulasim either. That was sad! But the book was still good, and the chemistry between Nawat and Aly beautiful.

3 3/4 thrones outta 5

48) Queste by Angie Sage- I'd been wanting to read this book for a loong time but my library didn't have it and I'd always forget to buy it at the bookstore. Now, I have to say this was a very nice book and all, but I still like Physik better. Also, Jenna was getting on my nerves, a lot. Always being so bossy but at the same time always blaming herself for all that happened to Nicko. The plot was so intricate though and the truth about Hotep-Ra was amazing. Very nice book indeed.

4 ships outta 5

49) The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones- I saw this book at the library and decided it would probably be a nice book to read. It was. The plot was very well built and the characters all charming. A very good series opener. One but though: the faeries didn't have wings!!! :o(

4 1/2 wings outta 5

50) The Lost Queen by Frewin Jones- A nice follow-up to the series opener, but Tania was getting on my nerves a little, although I don't blame her for feeling so bad about lying to her parents and not being able to come to peace with the faerie and human part of herself. But there's a very nice cliff-hanger at the end of the book which makes you wanna read the third.

4 1/2 subways outta 5

51) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee- When our english teacher handed this books out and told us to start reading, I wasnt' very sure about it. I mean, well I like magic books better, and the fact that this was 1. a classic and 2. there was no magic whatsoever in it made me kinda unsure about it. At first it was kinda boring, but as the plot developed, it became better and better and the ending was great! I found it sad though, to know of all the things the whites did to the blacks back then. It still opens your eyes though, to see Tom being condemned even though everyone knew he was innocent but a white man opened his mouth.

4 1/2 birds outta 5

Sorry for some short comments guys, but it'd been a while and my mom's telling me to get off now. As I think I won't be able to complete 75 books by the end of the year (I kinda slacked off when school started) I give myself a 60 books challenge...

60 books it is, then...8^}

Well, if you make 60 that is still wonderful!

lol thanks guys!

52) The Lost Queen by Frewin Jones- Good book, I liked how towards the middle the faerie sisters find themselves in the Mortal World. I was beginning to wonder if that would ever happen, and it was a nice twist to the story. One thing though is that I swear those Gray Knights are so creepy! With their red eyes and just how they're kinda brainless... *shudders* But it was a good book, I liked the ending the best.

4 1/2 black ambers outta 5

53) The vampire Diaries by LJ Smith- I read the first book of these in french. It was nice, but after reading the Twilight series, it seemed kinda like copying. And at some points I found the story didn't really move along, it just kinda kept...how to say.... repeating itself? I don't know, I don't think I'll read the second book, it'd kinda boring and I didn't really enjoy it (hence why it took me so long to read it.)

2 3/4 rings outta 5

54) New Moon by Stephenie Meyer- I did a reread of this to freshen up my mind for the movie. As always, it was really good, but I felt like this time, I could actually feel Bella's pain every time she described it. And I still felt like Jake was a jerk during those first two weeks after he turns into a werewolf, even though he does have a good reason. Can't wait to see the movie now!!!

4 3/4 vamps outta 5

So I'm getting sorta confused right now, because I just noticed that I put The Lost Queen on twice. I'll leave it up anyway, but I just have to remember that it's not actually a number, and so technically I have to keep going from 54:

54) The Sorcerer King by Frewin Jones- Interesting book, really showed us what the rest of Faerie is like. It was nice to have Tania travel to these other lands because it gave us sort of an idea of what the rest of the land looks like. I personally thought the book was alright, but I'm not a big fan of it. It kinda seemed to drag on and on for me and nothing really seemed to happen. The battle at the end was pretty cool, although I'll never forgive Jones for killing Zara!!! And I'm happy Rathina finally decided to come back to her sisters... very wise choice! ;o)

3 1/2 Gray Knights outta 5

55) The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan- Reread. I figured since the movie comes out in February, I might as well reread it now. This reread really helped me understand the story better. I remember the first time I read it I didn't really get what was going on very well. This time, I actually understood the things going on with Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. I think the story was pretty good, and the characters are charming. I absolutely fell in love with Grover, he's so incredibly cute!!

4 1/2 gods outta 5

56) The Immortal Realm by Frewin Jones- Great book. Loved it! It was so original for Jones to bring in the mortal sickness as the plot. With everyone being suspicious of Tania except her sisters, it was so suspensful!! One thing that bugged me though was the fact that Tania didn't think of going back to the mortal world for help (getting medicines) until it was almost too late. Honestly, if I was her, I think I would've figure out that a mortal sickness can only be cured by a mortal "solution." And that Lord which I can't remember the name of (Gabriel's dad, Lord Aldritch or something?) was really annoying me, along with his healer person that came to help. Those two points really brought the story down for me. I did think it was very courageous of Tania's friend to stay in the Faerie world... that's something I could've never done.

3 swords outta 5

The next ones to come later!

57) The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

58) The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

I love the Percy Jackson series! I did not know that there was a film version coming out. I will have to look for it.

BTW - are you joining us for the 2010 challenge? The group is up and running!

Hmmm, not sure if I will yet. I've found it kinda added some pressure (thinking that I have to read this many books and stuff) so I don't think I'll do it. I would like to have a thread in the group though and post the books I read on the way if that's alright.

57) The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan- Very nice book! The relationship between Annabeth and Percy is slowly growing, and I like that fact that they trust each other now. The plot was great and very um, revealing? It was nice to know why every satyr that set out to find Pan never made it back because of the Cyclops. I must admit, the Cyclops was kinda creepy though. The descriptions were very good and I could actually imagine the monster's voice in my had, which kinda gave me goosebumps. The ending was a real cliffhanger and very unexpected. Overall, I recommend it, I thought it was better than the first one.

4 3/4 satyrs outta 5

58) The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan- First of all, I gotta admit Thalia is completely the opposite of what I imagined her like. I thought she was gonna be this really sweet-looking girl who was good at fighting but didn't really look like it. I never imagined her as a kinda punk/rebel kinda girl. She was kinda annoying me, the way she was always getting on everyone's back and how she had a fiery temper. I guess I can understand her, what with being the greatest god's daughter I guess lots of people would have lots of expectations and I got the feeling she felt a little pressured by everyone to prove herself. Anyways, about the book, wasn't my favourite but it was good. In each book we get to know more gods and monsters and such, which improves my greek mythology (which btw was terrible before this.) I had always thought that Artemis was a male, not a female, so that was a surprise. I also really missed Annabeth in this book. She's probably my favourite character and the fact that she only appeared a bit in Percy's dreams and at the end was a little saddening. I'm also sad that Bianca had to die, she was such a lovely character. But other than that, good plot, good third installment.

4 clouds outta 5

59) The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan- Oh my, this was great. I love how the relationship between Annabeth and Percy has become a little more than friendship and how it's getting a little awkward. I'm kinda impatient with Percy for not making the first move, but whatever. Rachel also added a nice twist to the story, although I'm really surprised the heroes didn't figure out they needed a mortal princess until about the middle of the book. Um, that labyrinth sounds scary! :oP Hehe, I'd understand why people would go crazy inside. Don't have much else to say about the book, except that when Kronos rose, and the way he did it, surprised me. I honestly did not expect this. But ya, the battle at the end was great and can't wait to read the next one! :oD

4 3/4 labyrinths outta 5

Just one more to go folks till I reach my goal! :oD

Most of the people in the group really do not care about the numbers - we just enjoy discussing everyone else's reads, so I see no reason why you cannot join and post the books you read :)

#123: I am planning on doing the same thing pico...I mean creating a thread to keep tab on the books I read but not an actual challenge...I am glad you are liking the Percy Jackson Series...are you planning on reading The Demigod Files? because that one fits quite nicely between the 4th and 5th book :P

Hmm, ya I'd been looking into getting The Demigod Files but reading it after the 5th as I thought it was sort of an extra but I haven't started on the 5th one yet so if you say if fits nicely, then I'll probably look into it sooner. Thanks for the rec!

60) Arielle Queen:Premier Voyage vers L'Helheim by Michel Levesque- A french book since I'm currently spending my holidays in Quebec. I expected a little more from this book after reading the first one. It's about this girl, Arielle, who's chosen with this other guy, Noah, as the "Chosen Ones" that'll save the world from the destruction of the um, alters? I'm not sure how to say it in english, but it's the "bad" half of a person. Apparently there's people in the world that are separated in two, the good half which lives during the day, and the bad half (the alters) which lived during the night. Anyways, the Noah guy is dead and Arielle has to go to the Helheim (which is basically the land of the dead) to save him since the two Chosen Ones have to save the world together. So ya they meet a whole bunch of dark elves and alters that have killed their good human halves and stuff and it's a little complicated. I remember I really liked the first book and expected more from this one. I don't know, maybe I should've read the first one again to remind myself a little of the story, but I really found it kinda boring. And another thing, and maybe I'm just being picky, but I found the author changed verb tenses at spots where it really wasn't necessary. Like he'd be describing a battle and he'd say this guy is doing this and then it'd say did. It might just be me, and maybe I'm just imagining this... Anyways, way below my expectations, didn't really enjoy it. *sigh*

2 medallions outta 5

Well, we have to celebrate, I've accomplished my goal!!!!! :oD

*Woohoo!!!!!*

Congrats!

Thanks!

I'm happy to say that I just finished a book and so read 1 more book than my goal :oP

61) The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan- Wow!!! This was an excellent book! I have lots of points on this one, but my main thing I wanna say is that I love Riordan as an author. It's great the way he always leaves us mysteries in the middle of the book but then by the end they always solve themselves in a logical way. Like with Luke's mom, the way we don't know what happened to her at first and then the answer just makes perfect sense. The same thing comes with the prophecies the Oracle makes: I loved how at the end of each book we knew what each line of the prophecy meant.
Annabeth's and Percy's relationship finally reaches the point we were all waiting for it to reach by the end of the series, so I'm happy bout that. Thalia didn't annoy me as much in this book as she did in The Titan's Curse. I found she was actually really cooperating in this one. Um, I loved the whole Nico-Hades thing. The way Riordan portrays Hades as the bad, uncaring character and then we truly learn what happened to Nico's mom and how Hades was devastated. I found that story really nice, and it lets us see a whole new side of Hades. I can understand Nico for wanting to know more about his mom, considering his sister is gone and he feels like an outcast, even by his dad.
Great cliffhangers and climax. I love Poseidon, he's such a charming character! And Tyson too!

Overall, I loved the book. I think this series is one of my favourites!!

5 tridents outta 5!!! :oD

I really enjoyed that one, too. I thought it was a great ending to the series.

Happy New Year!